KQED's The California Report

Imagine that severe storms sent ice balls containing chemical slush raining down onto the ground. While that sounds like science fiction here on earth, researchers at UC Berkeley have discovered, that is science-fact on our solar system's biggest planet--Jupiter. The U.S. Justice Department has ruled that tech giant Google has been holding an unlawful monopoly over online ads, enabling them to manipulate the market and keep competition out. A new report shows that Black and Latina women in California continue to face disproportionate challenges when it comes to accessing maternal healthcare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It might sound farfetched, but the California Department of Motor Vehicles has a track-record of renewing the licenses of drivers whose dangerous maneuvers behind the wheel have caused deaths on the road. In Southern California, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has decided to move forward with plans to stabilize the coastal highway corridor that links Los Angeles, Orang and San Diego counties. However, the plan is not being met with much fanfare by local environmentalists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US wine industry let out a sigh of relief last week when President Trump decided to pause placing 20 percent tariffs on goods from the European Union, which would have included wine. However, the White House's global trade war is creating sour grapes with another major US trading partner--Canada; and that is jeopardizing California's wineries, which usually bank big with our neighbors to the North. In other tariff news, Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, saying that the president does not have the authority to impose unilateral tariffs. A non-profit watchdog group has released a report that sheds light on the world of black market rideshare and food delivery accounts, where people who wouldn't normally pass a background or criminal records check to register as a legitimate gig worker, can instead rent a vetted account on social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2023, the entertainment world in the US went on strike over production studios' embrace of artificial intelligence, and its potential to replace humans in the every role from actors to directors. While TV and movie studios eventually came to terms with striking workers in Hollywood, a year later, performers in the videogame industry represented by SAG-AFTRA went on strike over a number of reasons, including better working conditions and how the use of AI in game production would impact their careers. In the face of mounting lawsuits over a controversial immigration raid back in Kern County that happened at the beginning of the year, the Department of Homeland Security says it will retrain all of its 900 agents at the California-Mexico border about respecting the 4th Amendment when conduction an operation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States is seeing a boom in professional soccer, especially in California. The state is already host to four Major League Soccer teams and three teams in the National Women's Soccer League. There is also a crop of minor league teams sprouting up throughout the state, in both big cities and small towns. We'll take to you to the Southern California city of Lancaster, which hopes to score big with its newest soccer team, AV Alta FC. The Trump Administration canceled the social security numbers of roughly 6,000 immigrants. Advocates say the move puts these people in economic limbo, since they wouldn't be able to obtain legal employment or access any bank services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump says he will not limit the scope of his deportation efforts, going so far as to say schools across the country will also be targeted in sweeps and raids by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. That looming threat has undocumented students attending UC Berkeley calling on the university to issue a strong statement of support for them. Santa Clara County's District Attorney is moving forward with pressing charges against a dozen students that took part in last year's on-campus pro-Palestinian protests, where demonstrators occupied the office of the campus resident. The Santa Clara DA alleges that the students are responsible for thousands of dollars in damages, and are facing felony vandalism and trespassing related charges. The Trump Administration's trade war with China is heating up, and that may not bode well for California's agriculture businesses in the Central Valley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In early January, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from El Centro near San Diego launched a deportation raid in Kern County, more than six hours from their usual area of operation. The man behind the effort is Gregory Bovino, head of CBP's El Centro sector. He claimed the operation targeted criminals that were illegally in the US, but arrest data show that, of the nearly 80 people that were swept up by the agents out of El Centro, Border Patrol had an arrest record for just one individual. Ultra low-budget airliner, Avelo, is shuttering its Bay Area hub at Sonoma County's Charles M. Schultz Airport, after it got tapped by the Trump Administration to conduct mass deportation flights. One Sonoma County Supervisor is condemning the move, saying it would hurt the local economy in the long-run. Prop 36, California's voter-approved "tough on crime" bill, is still a head-scratcher for lawmakers in Sacramento, who are still debating on how to actually fund its rollout statewide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is aiming to make the entirety of its electricity production zero-carbon by 2045. One of the key areas that state leaders are looking to help the state reach its clean energy goals is the Mojave Desert. Since 2014, the desert has been home to one of the largest solar power plants in North America. However, California's zero-carbon efforts in the Mojave are coming at the expense of a celebrated natural icon: the Joshua Tree. President Trump's tariff war may take a big chunk out of California's budget. Since the tariffs went into effect last week, the stock market has plummeted for days on end; that means a drop in revenue for some of the state's wealthiest residents, which could put a hole in California's budget down the line. A new bill circulating through the California state legislature may tip the balance in favor of rideshare drivers, when it comes to bargaining for better working conditions. AB-1340 would make it legal for those driving for rideshare giants like Lyft and Uber to form a union, in order to negotiate with their employers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Firefighter aircraft were cheered on back in January, when they were making headlines as they painted the areas being scorched by the Palisades and Eaton Fires in Los Angeles County with fire retardant. However, scientists are starting to wonder whether the contents of these retardants could impact the health or the environment of the people who have to eventually rebuild these communities that were devastated by wildfires. Thousands in California are preparing to demonstrate against President Trump's efforts to cut funding to the National Institute of Health. He has already stalled about $1.5 billion dollars in medical research funds, which have had wide-ranging effects, impacting studies into long COVID and cancer, among others. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has revoked visas from hundreds of international students that were studying in the United States, including dozens from the Bay Area. Two students in California have decided to push back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Fresno mobile home park has become ground zero in a fight to save one of the last bastions of affordable housing in California. But residents there are facing an uncertain future as they wait for a federal judge to decide who will take control of the place they call home: another corporate landlord or an affordable housing non-profit. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report Thousands of people in the Bay Area joined protesters across the country over the weekend in taking to the streets to demonstrate against President Trump and Elon Musk, saying they're taking the country in the wrong direction. Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump's tariffs are sending shockwaves around the world, and across car dealerships here in California, the U.S.'s largest car and truck market. A 25% tariff is being placed on all vehicles imported into the United States, but that tariff also covers car parts that are used to assemble vehicle models associated with "Made in the USA." The tariffs will likely mean higher prices for all kinds of new vehicles. Guest: Brian Ellis, Glendale Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep Perhaps no California industry will face a bigger impact from tariffs than agriculture. In 2018, during President Trump's first term in office, the US engaged in a trade war with China. The US Department of Agriculture estimates that farmers took a $27 billion dollar loss from retaliatory tariffs. But what will happen this time around? Guest: Colin Carter, Professor of Agricultural Economics, UC Davis A Eureka woman is suing a Catholic hospital chain after she was denied emergency abortion care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In last year’s presidential election, Donald Trump improved on his 2020 performance all across California. Voters in every congressional district in the state shifted toward Trump. But the areas moving most toward Republicans also have a lot to lose from the party’s budget plan in Washington. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Lawmakers are introducing a bill to strengthen existing statewide tenant protections. Some property owners are not happy. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED San Joaquin Valley has the lowest ratio of doctors to patients in the entire state. A new bill co-authored by Democratic representative Jim Costa of Fresno is aiming to change that. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's logging industry has been shrinking for years, with an aging workforce and fewer young people entering the trade. But in Northern California, a community college is stepping in to change that, helping to train the next generation of loggers through an innovative apprenticeship program. Guest: Kate Rix, The Hechinger Report The California snowpack is close to 100 percent for the third year in a row. That hasn’t happened in three consecutive years since the late 1990s. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major League Baseball is underway and for many fans of the Athletics, it’s a bittersweet season. That’s because the team used to be known as the Oakland Athletics, until they left Oakland last year. The A’s are now set to play at least three seasons in their new home in West Sacramento, while the team prepares for a permanent move to Las Vegas. Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED Nearly 60,000 workers across the University of California are walking off the job again Tuesday. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Almost 60 years ago, Cesar Chavez ended a 25-day fast at Memorial Park in Delano. He was protesting the treatment of farmworkers across California. On Cesar Chavez Day, thousands of people marched from that same park, to continue in the legendary labor leader’s footsteps. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of police officers in California have been stripped of their badges in the last few years for serious misconduct. The offenses range from sexual assault to excessive force to racial bias. But thousands of cases still need to be reviewed. Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS A pair of bills aiming to limit the harms of social media on children will face their first hearing in the California legislature this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to get new housing approved in California? Way too much, say some lawmakers. To change that, a bipartisan group is proposing a package of nearly two dozen bills to cut through barriers they say is putting the brakes on housing production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holy month of Ramadan is a special time when Muslim families often gather together. But when the Eaton Fire destroyed the only mosque in the Altadena area, it nearly upended the community’s ability to uphold tradition. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW A bill in the state Legislature asking for more accountability from California’s homeless shelters has passed out of its first committee hearing. The proposed legislation comes after a CalMatters investigation found evidence of violence and mismanagement at shelters across the state. Reporter: Lauren Hepler, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonoma County, is of course, famous for its vineyards but a lot more is produced there by small farmers. From eggs to milk and all kinds of specialty greens, Sonoma County is the Bay Area’s bread basket. But making it as a small farmer in Sonoma – like the rest of the state -- has gotten a lot harder in recent years. In part, because land has gotten so expensive. Reporter: Noah Abrams, KRCB Drivers for ride hailing apps are rallying Wednesday in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, ahead of mediation talks linked to charges that Uber and Lyft stole wages from drivers. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED The elections clerk in Shasta County, where several debates over voting and election integrity have occurred, is resigning at the end of April. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education. He also appears poised to make big changes to student loan programs. What could all this mean to people paying off their loans? Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR A California non-profit is suing the Trump Administration over its decision to end humanitarian parole programs. This comes after the Trump administration announced Friday that it will end a program for some Latin American and Caribbean countries. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a series of town halls on Sunday, Bay Area congressman Ro Khanna urged residents of Republican-held congressional districts in California to organize against the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to programs like Medicaid and the wider social safety net. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Congressman Khanna's next stop was an amphitheater in the Inland Empire community of Norco, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR A federal rent assistance program that tens of thousands of Californians rely on is running out of money. Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices